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In This Issue:
• Feature Article:
How to Help Students Survive Culture Shock
• Language Lizard Update:
School Year-End Reflections
• Product Review: Not Again, Red Riding Hood!
• *Subscriber Special Offer*:
Discount on Not Again, Red Riding Hood! Products
• Lizard Recommends:
www.yeoresources.org
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Language Lizard Update
Dear Reader:
As the school year approaches an end, you may be thinking about summer barbecues and reading on the beach. For those of you able to spend time with young children over the summer, there's no better activity than cuddling and reading a good book. You may want to consider one of our favorite stories, Not Again, Red Riding Hood! , which is reviewed below (see the Subscriber Special Offer section for a discount on this book).
You may also be reflecting about the past year and upcoming challenges. Our guest writer, Colleen Miller, provides fascinating insight on one challenge you may face: how to help your immigrant students, or your own children, deal with "culture shock.”
Colleen explains the phenomenon, stages and symptoms of culture shock. She then provides some wonderful suggestions to assist you in helping English as a Second Language (ESL) students deal with culture shock and thrive in the classroom.
We are grateful that we could support your language learners this past school year via our books and lesson plans.
Have a wonderful summer and happy reading!
Anneke Forzani
Founder and President
Language Lizard, LLC |
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 Book Review:
Not Again, Red Riding Hood!
Written by Kate Clynes
Illustrated by Louise Daykin
Ages 3-8
Review by Maureen Pugh
Not Again, Red Riding Hood! is a whimsical and entertaining book. The tale begins after Red Riding Hood’s “terrible ordeal with the wolf” and follows her on a new adventure.
When her mother asks her to bring some cookies to her father, who is working in the woods, Red Riding Hood agrees to go, despite her nervousness. As she makes her way to her father, she encounters various storybook characters (Rapunzel, Goldilocks’ three bears, and the 3 Billy Goats Gruff) and shares some of her cookies with each of them.
As Red Riding Hood continues her journey, she is unaware that she is being tracked by the Big Bad Wolf’s brother. In many of the illustrations, we see either the wolf’s tiny figure tiptoeing in the background or parts of him (like his ears and tail) showing over a window or a fence as he peeps at Red Riding Hood.
Near the end of the book, there is a terrible confrontation where the wolf attacks her. She is rescued at the last minute by her axe-wielding father, who chases the wolf away. Father and daughter then share the last two cookies.
One aspect of the story that I particularly liked was the integration of math concepts. For example, at one point they count the cookies by twos. The cookies themselves have what look like colorful M&Ms on them, so the reader can count both the cookies (which the storyline has us do) and the M&Ms on the cookies. As Red Riding Hood distributes the cookies to the other characters in the book, the author is able to incorporate subtraction (as well as the virtue of sharing).
This charming story, with its fanciful illustrations and its clever use of familiar storybook characters, is an enjoyable adventure that children and parents will delight in reading again and again.
Not Again, Red Riding Hood! is available in English with Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Czech, Farsi, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Panjabi, Portuguese, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
A multilingual audio CD of Not Again, Red Riding Hood! Is also available (note: book and CD are sold separately). It is narrated in English by the author herself, followed by narrations of the story in all of the following languages: Albanian, Bengali, Chinese (Cantonese), Czech, French, Portuguese, Somali, Turkish and Urdu.
If you’re interested in purchasing this book please visit the Not Again, Red Riding Hood! webpage at http://www.languagelizard.com/Not_Again_Red_Riding_Hood_p/red.htm
The multilingual CD can be found at http://www.languagelizard.com/Audio_CD_Not_Again_Red_Riding_Hood_p/cdred.htm
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Special Subscriber Offer: 10% Discount on Not Again, Red Riding Hood!:
Through July 10, 2009 we are offering a 10% discount on the following products:
Simply apply Coupon Code CCS-RED upon checkout to receive the discount.
To see the difficulty level of these and other Language Lizard books, please visit our “Book Suggestions” page at http://www.languagelizard.com/images/Childrens_Bilingual_Books.pdf |
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How to help students survive culture shock
by
Colleen Miller
Have you noticed that about halfway into the school year, new ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students, who once seemed excited and energized, seem to hit a wall? Students who once were bright-eyed and cheerful come to school looking listless and detached. More than just the mid-year doldrums, they may be in the crisis stage of the powerful phenomenon of culture shock.
What is culture shock?
In the 1950s, a diplomat named Karl Oberg first used the term “culture shock” to describe the difficulties both he and his fellow expatriates experienced as they adjusted to their new lives overseas. He suggested that people depend on cues given by their familiar groups to define who they are and to support their self-concept. Without these cues, people are prone to anxiety and frustration, which can lead to physical ailments.
The stages of culture shock -
Honeymoon Adjustment
Hostility Humor
Crisis
Most people move through a U-curve of culture shock stages. These include:
1. Honeymoon - marked by enthusiasm and euphoria as students are stimulated by the novelty of their new situation.
2. Hostility – characterized by irritability and negativism as the excitement wears off, difficulties become realized, and self-confidence slips.
3. Crisis – typified by a deep sense of homesickness and/or hostility. Students may feel a sense of isolation and loss of control.
4. Humor - enthusiasm begins to return, especially if new language skills are acquired. Students will see the humor in their mistakes and stop being critical of themselves and of their adopted country.
5. Adjustment – characterized by gained biculturalism, and by a willingness to mentor new ESOL students. Culture shock subsides as students gain proficiency in the new language, become more familiar with their environment, and achieve greater success in their intercultural interactions.
By understanding the culture shock experience, and its inherent stages, teachers can better support the experience of the immigrant children in their classrooms. After all, educators don’t just work to help ESOL children build an “interlanguage” between their first and second languages, but also work to build an “interculture,” or a learner’s bridge from a child’s first cultural understanding toward a second cultural knowledge. The more scaffolding and support children have from their hosts or community, the faster they can bridge the misunderstandings.
What are symptoms of culture shock?
Be alert for signs of culture shock in your students. Symptoms can include flashes of anger over minor frustrations, excessive sleepiness, unexplained crying, changes in appetite, withdrawal, aches and pains, and even depression. Helping students manage culture shock can be crucial to maintaining individual and classroom morale. The key to overcoming culture shock is to give students the tools to adapt to their new life and to help them retain their appreciation of their native culture and family traditions.
How to help your ESOL students--
*Teach students about culture shock. Knowing what to expect can give students a sense of recognition and control.
*Encourage students to continue learning their native language. Make a dual language book library in the classroom and encourage students to borrow materials to share at home. Because knowledge transfers from one language to another, the more students read in any language, the faster they will connect to new content and skills. Also, as young students often excel at language learning, reading together with parents can help ease the detachment some immigrant children feel at home because their parents may lag behind in acquiring English. This disconnect can add to a student’s level of stress. Making an excuse to cuddle up with a book can re-energize sagging spirits.
*Establish and carefully explain classroom routines to newcomers. By doing this, you create a classroom culture that students can settle into quickly, thus reinforcing their sense of safety.
*Plan for projects where students can teach you and their classmates about their culture. This will foster a feeling of mutual respect in the classroom. Each member will feel she has something valuable to contribute to your promotion of global understanding.
*Help students connect to activities that might interest them outside of school. Art classes, sports teams, and hobby programs can help students feel part of a new community network.
*Encourage students to find or form support groups with other students who may be at the same point in the U-curve of culture shock.
*Allow time for reflection. Teach students vocabulary for feelings. Using pictures of children showing different emotions can be helpful in teaching expression. If students are old enough, let them journal. You might encourage them to compare and contrast their old life and their new life. Also, have students explore how to handle frustrating situations and to examine moments of success.
*Teach and model conflict resolution skills. Have students role play scenarios, so when difficult real-life situations occur, they will have the tools to react in a healthy way.
*Periodically remind students how to get help at your school if feelings of homesickness become overwhelming.
Colleen Miller is a University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Masters of ESOL Education student, where she is working on a thesis of the impact of Culture Shock on adolescents. She taught high school English in Japan for two years, and has been employed by Howard County, Maryland, as a secondary English teacher for 10 years.
© Language Lizard, LLC. 2009.
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A Favorite Quote
"Through learning language, we learn about culture.
Through learning about culture, we learn respect for others.
Through learning respect for others, we can hope for peace."
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Author unknown |
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About Language Lizard
Language Lizard, LLC aims to enrich children's lives with language and culture. The Company believes that children will be inspired to learn languages and connect with other cultures if they are exposed to fun and creative learning materials early in their lives.
Language Lizard currently offers award-winning dual-language children's products in over 40 languages. To find out more about our company and products, or to sign up for this free e-newsletter, please visit www.LanguageLizard.com.
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For those interested in learning more about culture shock, guest author Colleen Miller recommends the following website: www.yeoresources.org. Once you are on the website, click on “Find Documents” then click on the link that says “for a complete view of all categories, click here.” This will bring you to a wealth of information, including articles, games, and videos on a variety of cultural awareness topics.
This website is run by the Rotary Youth Exchange (part of the service organization Rotary International), which sponsors youth exchange programs. Although the site is geared to participants in the Rotary Youth Exchange, it would be a wonderful resource for staff development or individual edification.
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